Philips HS8040

...real close shave) and a philips electric razor(when i'm pushed for time and just need to look reasonably smart.

The old style Philips 'phileshave' system was easilly the closest electric shave around but still a long way from a wet shave.

After over 30 years with a moustache and short beard i recently decided to go clean shaven again which meant more and more involved wet shaves and more 'top up' electric shaves. My ...
...lip.

The Philips 'cool shave' system seemed ideal, advertising a really close electric shave and a sensitive feel thanks to a built in moisturising cream dispenser,so I bought one.

I'm pleased I did.
Philips always did have the best shaving system (thanks to there rotary tripple floating head design, a design ALL the other shaver makers would love to copy if they could get round the Philips patents and copyrights) ... more

I've always split my shaving between a traditional wet shave(when i want a real close shave) and a philips electric razor(when i'm pushed for time and just need to look reasonably smart.

The old style Philips 'phileshave' system was easilly the closest electric shave around but still a long way from a wet shave.

After over 30 years with a moustache and short beard i recently decided to go clean shaven again which meant more and more involved wet shaves and more 'top up' electric shaves. My old philips shaver was clearly not up to the job and after so many years with a beard I found my skin very sensitive,espically on my upper lip.

The Philips 'cool shave' system seemed ideal, advertising a really close electric shave and a sensitive feel thanks to a built in moisturising cream dispenser,so I bought one.

I'm pleased I did.
Philips always did have the best shaving system (thanks to there rotary tripple floating head design, a design ALL the other shaver makers would love to copy if they could get round the Philips patents and copyrights) and this latest offering is a big improvment on their older systems giving almost,but not quite, as close a shave as a wet shave.

This model comes with a carry case,beard trimmer,charger, and one container of the Nivea moisturiser specially made for use with the razor.

Previous Philips razors had there charger built in where this one dose not ,which is not a problem but is more bulky and unlike the razor the charger has a cheap feel. As usual with Philips shavers the charge lasts for many shaves. There are a couple of nice touches here, (1) a quick 9 min charge clicks off the first 'charging' light and indicates the razor will do one shave and (2) there a travel lock system which stops the unit from running if it gets a knock in a suitcase or bag during transit.
Also gone is any kind of hair collector,this to is not a problem as when used with the nivea liquid the bristles trap in the cream and are washed away after each use.
Filling the unit with the cream is very easy and totally without mess or hassle,the container is designed to fit against the razor and 5 pumps of the can loads the unit for many many shaves.

The razor is easy to clean,simply run the unit under hot water after each use and its done, so water proof is the HS8040 that the makers actually suggest you use it in the bath or shower!
The Nivea cream has a plesent smell and dose a perfect job giving a comfortable sensitive shave as well as increasing the closness of the shave . Down side of this aspect is of course you need to buy more cream from time to time and its not cheap,on the net 6 containers cost about £50, a container should last a fair time but I'm not sure how long yet as I've not used up my first can.There do not appear to be any other brands suitable for use with this unit.

The unit is light and fits well in the hand although I did find at first that a touched the cream dispenser button by accident a few times sending too much cream to the heads,a slight adjustment to my grip soon fixed this.The bead trimmer looks and works very much like an after thought and the same model without the trimmer is cheaper and a better buy.

Its clear this shaver is designed for bathroom use,not at all suitable for a quick shave at the airport or in the company washroom, the shaving experience is more akin to a wet shave than a normal electric shave.
Bottom line is, this razor is very well designed and strongly made,used as directed it will give almost as good a shave as a wet razor,for anyone with sensitive skin its a must have. Great for use at home or in the hotel bathroom but not for use on the fly.Also be aware of the ongoing (but spread out) cost involved due to the need for the nivea cream.
Important tip:- if you have never used the Philips rotary shave system before it WILL take about 10 days before your skin adjusts and you get the closest possible shave,this has always been the case. 

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